Listen Up, Speak Up with NSPCC

Wednesday, 28 August 2024 14:53

By Adele Trathan

Sadly, not every young person who is experiencing abuse or neglect is able to speak out about it, so it’s vitally important to understand the role we can play in supporting and keeping children safe. Adele Trathan spoke to the NSPCC about their latest campaign

The NSPCC’s latest campaign, Listen up, Speak up, offers free online and face-to-face training to help adults recognise when something might be wrong and a child might be at risk, and what they could do to help. Face-to-face workshops are being offered to groups and organisations across the country.

It is estimated that half a million children in the UK suffer some form of abuse each year, so they want to inspire a million people and help create a nation of safeguarders who can offer support to families across the country before they reach crisis point. That’s why Listen up, Speak up is so important. Whether you take the simple training online or in-person, you will be given guidance on spotting some of the signs when something might not be right, and advice about the best way you can offer support or help.

That could be as simple as offering a listening ear to a struggling teen or parent, stepping in to help juggle childcare, or calling the NSPCC Helpline if you think a child is at risk.

The Listen up, Speak up workshops are available for free to schools, businesses, organisations and community groups. They only take 45- 60 minutes but offer vital safeguarding advice and guidance. The online training is even shorter, running to around 10 minutes, but it also offers advice on some of the signs that a child might be at risk, how to approach difficult conversations and who to contact if you are concerned about a child or their family.

A series of follow-up emails will share more advice on how to listen to and support children and families and will introduce helpful services and resources.

The NSPCC believe that everyone can play a part in keeping children safe, if armed with the knowledge of what to do when concerned a child is at risk. They want to reach as many people as possible through the workshops and would love to hear from any community groups, businesses or organisations that would like to host one.

All of us encounter children in our daily lives – in our neighbourhoods, at our places of work, on our commute or at the supermarket. By taking the Listen up, Speak up training, you can equip yourself with a little bit of knowledge which can go a long way in helping to keep children and young people safe.

Listen up, Speak up workshops will be running across the UK for the next few months, find out more at www.nspcc.org.uk/speakup or book a workshop by emailing londonsoutheastcampaigns@nspcc.org.uk.

Listen Up, Speak Up with NSPCC

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